Story 1: Photographs and Memories
by Myannah
Summary: After season 5 and before season 6. A childhood sweetheart walks back into Spencer Reid's life.
1. Chapter 1

Photographs and memories.

Disclaimer: I only own the title of the episode and Jessie.

Chapter1.

The day started out wrong. The alarm clock never went off and Spencer Reid woke up 30 minutes later than usual. When he got in his kitchen to make his first cup of coffee, he couldn't find the new beans anywhere. He raced to take a shower and couldn't wait for the water to heat up. He grabbed a slice of cold left-over pizza and ran out the door. He raced down the steps of his apartment building and nearly tripped over his neighbor's dog. He didn't even think about apologizing. And as he had expected, he drove into morning traffic. He barely had time to throw together a cup of coffee before the morning meeting and he knew that it wasn't going to taste good.

"What's up pretty boy? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed today?" Morgan asked as Reid flew into a chair in the conference room.

"Something's wrong with my alarm. I have to pick up a new one after work. I can't take a cold shower and go without coffee two days in a row." Reid exclaimed between coffee gulps.

"Cold shower?" Morgan asked with a raised (and slightly comical) brow.

"It was the…" Reid started to explain when Hotchner walked into the conference room. He had a box of files in his hands and the team knew that that meant business.

Meanwhile, in front of Reid's apartment building, a yellow car pulled into a parking spot. A young woman got out of the driver's seat and stared up at the building. She shook her head as she slammed the door shut and headed towards the buzzer door. Just before she reached the door, another tenant walked out and seeing her heading to the door, held it open for her. The guy even paused to try and flirt with the young woman because she was obviously beautiful, but she just thanks him and raced up the steps.

She walked down the hallway and counted the doors as she passed them. She ended up in front of Reid's door. She didn't pause to look for any hidden key; she immediately grabbed a skeleton key from her bag and started unlocking the door. Footsteps were coming from the stairs and she quickly slipped into the apartment undetected.

Back at the office, the meeting ended and Reid was starting to feel a bit more normal. Things were getting back into place as the minutes ticked by. Hotchner approached Reid as everyone else walked out.

"Did you bring it?" Hotch asked. Reid looked up at him in confusion.

"Bring what?"

"The folder. I left you a message this morning."

"The 'Walker-case' folder? I didn't get any message. I didn't bring it. I'm sorry." Reid burned up as he realized that this day would not be normal at all. To hide his anger, he started looking for his mobile phone. He searched his pockets and found nothing. They nearly reached his desk and he felt like going back to bed and starting over. "I can't find my phone!" He exclaimed.

Inside the apartment, the young woman paused to take her sunglasses off and drop her bag in the corner. Her eyes were strikingly green and it stood out against her pale skin. She scanned the room. It seemed clean but in a kind of disarray. She started looking around with more interest. Lifting up books and reading the titles, staring at the paintings, opening drawers and leaving everything as she found it. A mobile phone rang that made her jump in surprise. The tune continued on as she started looking for the phone and found it on the coffee table. An out of state number was on display as she picked it up. She waited and waited until the song cut off, and then slipped it into her jean pocket. She caught her own reflection in a hallway mirror and grunted. She took the elastic band out of her hair and covered most of her face with her long brown locks and bangs.

Reid was about ready to explode when he couldn't find his phone on his desk. He remembered passing there and dropping his bag before he went for coffee, but his phone was nowhere. He decided to head back to the conference room to check there and on the steps, he was stopped by Prentiss.

"Are you okay, Reid?" she asked. The whole team was worrying by this time because Reid was never in such a mess.

"My phone… I swear I grabbed it this morning…" Reid was saying more to himself than to anyone else.

"Call it!" Prentiss suggested and took her own phone out of her pocket. She searched for the number and started dialing. She handed Reid the phone and made room for him to continue up the steps. It started ringing and Reid took a moment to collect himself. The song could be heard muffled and distant. Reid turned to identify where the ringtone was coming from. Then suddenly, the sound was loud and clear, as if taken out of its hiding place. Reid turned around to the sound and found himself shocked to his very core. He could not move. He barely remembered to breathe. In the middle of the office, holding up the phone, stood the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.


	2. Chapter 2

Photographs and Memories

Chapter 2

"Jessie!" Reid mumbled as he stared down at the girl. He handed Prentiss her phone and started back down the stairs. His speed picked up as he reached the girl, he threw his arms out and picked her up into a strong embrace.

"Spence! I see you missed me!" she laughed as Reid put her back down.

"Jessie, you're here… you. I am… Surprised… what are you doing here?" Reid was beside himself from excitement. Morgan and Prentiss gathered a few feet behind the reunion and started whispering and wondering about the girl's identity.

"Reid knows a pretty girl?" Morgan asked bemused.

"I'm surprised too. Last time I checked he was single." Prentiss joined him.

"Do you think she's family?" Morgan asked with too much interest.

"With the way he looked at her? No way! It almost seemed like he saw his reason for living."

"Oh my God!" Garcia interrupted. She just walked in and was staring at Reid and Jessie too. "D'you guys know who that is?"

"We were just wondering the same thing." Prentiss answered her.

"That is Jessica Lynden!" Garcia exclaimed.

"You know her?" Morgan asked.

"I know _of_ her. She was on the cover of PC World Magazine a couple months ago. Most copies ever sold of a single issue – Mostly because she's so visually appealing. I know I have a copy somewhere in my house…"

"Why was she on the cover?" Morgan prompted Garcia.

"She invented a program like a lie detector that is based on micro expressions." Garcia said matter of factly.

"What?" Morgan stared over at the pretty brunette with skepticism. "She's a computer tech?"

"Hey, don't look so surprised. That girl is a genius! Just because she is excruciatingly beautiful doesn't mean she doesn't have any brains. Inside that pretty little head of hers is an over active brain. In the article she said designing programs was only her hobby, she had other interests, but right now I think she works in DC."

"That girl sits in front of a computer every day?" Prentiss asked.

"I don't know what her job description is, but she's good. Boy, would I like to challenge her..." Garcia said as she started heading towards Reid and Jessie.

"Hey what are you doing?" Morgan asked.

"Going over there, to introduce myself. Wouldn't you?" Garcia continued and Prentiss and Morgan followed behind.

"Thanks for getting my phone, where did you find it anyway?" Reid said to Jessie as Morgan, Prentiss and Garcia walked closer.

"In your apartment," she answered him with a sneaky smile.

"How… how did you get into my apartment?" Reid frowned.

"I have my ways." She simply said, noticing the three getting closer.

"Jessie! You broke into my apartment?" Reid (oblivious to the new comers) exclaimed.

"Ask me no questions, I'll tell you know lies." She said and turned to face the new comers. Only then did Reid realize they weren't alone anymore.

"Guys! Hi there." Reid said uncomfortably. He seemed divided between running to hide and actually introducing the team to Jessie.

"Hello." Jessie said with a simple wave.

"Derrick Morgan," Morgan extended his hand to Jessie. "Derrick." He added flirtatiously. Reid frowned and corrected: "We call him Morgan."

Jessie smiled between Rein and Morgan and shook his hand. "Morgan it is. I'm Jessie Lynn."

"Penelope Garcia," Garcia said with a frown as she shook the girl's hand.

"Emily Prentiss," Emily continued the round of handshakes.

"So, how do you know Reid?" Morgan asked.

Reid didn't like the attention Morgan was giving Jessie. He wanted to take her away, to have her attention all for himself. Inside his head he tried to rationalize that feeling but was cut off abruptly by Jessie's answer.

"We're soul mates," she said harshly.


	3. Chapter 3

Photograph and Memories

Chapter 3

"We're soul mates," Jessie said harshly. Something tugged at Reid's emotions and his memory. Of course he remembered this part. Jessie likes to say things that shock people. Annoyingly so. But he also remembered saying this himself once before.

"What?" Morgan and Prentiss mumbled together. Prentiss looked at Reid's puzzled face and added with a smile, "Does he know that?"

"He used to," Jessie joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Jessie, no one meets their soul mate when they're six years old." Reid said sternly, remembering that conversation they once had.

"Apparently not." She whispered painfully. She started laughing and added, "of course I'm just joking. Reid and I met when we were kids. However, we haven't spoken in seven years."

"Do you want to go catch up? Over lunch? Now?" Reid grabbed his jacket off his chair and reached for his bag. At that minute, Hotchner walked in.

"Reid, here's a new copy of the Walker file. Could you copy the notes from memory?" Hotch asked. He only glanced at Jessie. Although, in his mind he found the girl beautiful, he also immediately knew he was much older than her and merely admired her secretly. "The meeting was moved to today. I need your notes."

Reid felt trapped. He wanted to help Hotch, and he wanted to get Jessie away from all the questions he knew was brewing in Prentiss, Morgan and Garcia's minds. He stared at Jessie as he contemplated his actions.

"I can wait." Jessie assured him with a devastating smile.

"It'll take about fifteen minutes." Reid finally said to Hotch and watched him leave. Reid dropped his jacket and bag as he tried to sift through the notes he had to write into the file.

"Do you want some coffee?" Morgan offered Jessie. She smiled and started replying when Reid grabbed her hand and tore her away.

"Wait with me!" Reid said and pulled Jessie by her hand, all the way to the conference room.

Reid was still busy with copying the notes. It had taken him longer than fifteen minutes because he kept looking up to search for Jessie. She moved swiftly and quietly around the conference room, so he could never predict where she was at a certain point. She's always been like that. The word: devious, came to Reid's mind as he looked up once more and found Jessie right next to him. She was looking at his notes and seemed puzzled.

"la Luna de Hunter?" She mused.

"It means…"

"Hunter's moon. I know. Interesting." She mumbled and returned to her deep thoughts.

"We were able to confirm that the Unsub only kills on a full moon. Gives us time to catch him before the next one."

"Unsub?" Jessie asked in a haze.

"Unknown subject. The killer." Reid was still working on his notes. He turned the page and continued his notes. Jessie seemed deep in thought and completely perplexed.

"What?" Reid finally asked her.

"You think it's a man?" she pondered.

"Yeah. Statistically, sadistic torturers are male." Reid said uncomfortably. "You probably shouldn't be looking at this." He added as he pulled the file out of her view.

"Statistically," she stressed the word sarcastically, "I'm supposed to be insane – but I'm not. You're contradicting yourself… in your notes. It's not a man."

"Jessie, it is a man. You don't know what you're talking about." Reid tried to be as gentle as possible. He liked that she was there, but he didn't want her to think she knew something she did not. He finished his notes and tried desperately to ignore Jessie as she stared at him.

"You're saying he's short but strong, Impotent but sadistic. It's not a man!" she said strongly. "And not Spanish either."

"And what makes you say that?" Hotch suddenly asked from the door. "What makes you think you know more than Reid?"

"I don't. But that's not the point. Just because a person can write in Spanish does not mean they are Spanish. That specific line was in a movie. Your _unsub_," She stressed the word, "probably put her own meaning to them. A Hunter is how she thinks of herself. Probably plans everything ahead of time, waits it out and strikes when it's full moon. And she slashes people…" Jessie sounded strangely a lot like Reid at this point, "Sort of like a werewolf." She added animatedly. She was almost excited about her words. "My guess is; she is delusional."

Hotch stared at her for several minutes. He went through his own notes on the case and couldn't help but think she was right. "Go on." He said as he reached for the file. Reid reluctantly handed it over and watched as Jessie stole his thunder.

"It's not my place…" she realized she had overdone herself and instantly felt sorry. She couldn't help herself.

"But obviously you know something we do not, so…" Hotch said harsher than he meant.

"That was not my intention." Jessie snapped.

"Of course." Hotch added and went over the notes while he thought everything over. "But please explain your line of thinking."

It was Jessie's turn to stare. She first stared at Hotch, trying to figure out whether she should say something or just leave it to the professionals. Then she turned and stared at Reid. He stared right back but didn't say anything.

"You don't have anything else?" Hotch broke her deliberation with another quick sentence. Jessie inhaled sharply as she collected her thoughts.

"You've been looking for a Hispanic Male, roughly 25 to 40 years old, short and impotent, but compensates for everything with flashy car and shiny jewelry. Then you say that he kills white females and stabs them multiple times. First of all, He is not a he…" she started drawing to a close.

"Statistically…" Reid started cutting her off but she cut him off right back.

"Statistically, White kills white, African American kills African American and Hispanic kills Hispanic. Why would you think otherwise…?" She stopped talking and deliberated over her own sentence.

"Now who's contradicting them self?" Reid said kindly.

"I know, it's confusing. You are looking for a White female, 25 to 40 years old, short and angry. Very angry."

"Why do you think female?" Hotch asked, somehow it felt to him like he was interviewing her for a job.

"Because there's no rape. Of course the stabbing simulates the rape but women can be just as brutal as men, just as sadistic and sexual. And yes, statistically that would mean your _unsub_," she mocked the word again, "is impotent and acts out his sexual frustration with the stabbing… but! There is always an exception to the rule. And something about the victims just screams jealous rage."

Hotch was starting to follow her way of thinking. Everything she had said made sense to him. It bugged him that he was about to take advice from a complete stranger but he had to try it out. The unsub had already killed four people and remained uncaught. Changing their profile just a little bit might help them. He looked to Reid for assurance. Reid was astounded by what Jessie had said but in his mind he knew she had something there. He wasn't jealous or angry. He was glad she could help. And his mind returned back to getting her away, so he could chat to her alone. He suddenly realized Hotch was expecting him to say something and he reached for words.

"It makes sense to me. Maybe if we switch the search to a white female, we might find the unsub. It's worth a try."

"I'll let Garcia know."Hotch said and headed to the door but he stopped abruptly, "how do you know these things?" he asked her.

This took Jessie by surprise, she didn't really know how to explain it to him or what exactly to say to him. She grasped for something normal to say and then settled for a straightforward answer he would not misunderstand.

"I'm like him." She said, pointing candidly at Reid. Hotch nodded and walked out. Jessie stared at his back as he disappeared behind the closing door and then turned her eyes to Reid's.

Reid felt his brain turn to paste as Jessie turned to face him. Her green eyes were sparkling with excitement and she seemed slightly flushed. She smiled at him innocently and he thought his answering smile was slothful and stupid.

"So, lunch?" He managed and had to gulp for air when Jessie's smile turned to a grin.

"Okay." She said after a moment and then Reid led the way to his favorite restaurant.


	4. Chapter 4

Photographs and Memories.

Chapter 4

It was too early for lunch, so Reid and Jessie settled for coffee at a nearby coffee shop. In fact it was close enough for them to walk. They went over the basics of conversation; their general well-being, that of their parents, the weather and the usual small talk.

"You're still on decaf," Reid noted after they had placed their order and the waitress was gone.

Jessie giggled and nodded.

"I remember that one time when you accidentally got caffeine in. You were horrible. No one could keep up." Reid laughed at the memory. "You ended up in the ER."

"Yeah, but only because I fell and hit my head really hard." She joined the delight of the memory.

Reid laughed, "Yeah… I remember the nurse kept asking if you have a concussion… It didn't matter either way… there was no putting you down… even on a chair. You where bouncing all over the place. All covered in blood."

"Oh, she still works there. I saw her last Christmas. She doesn't like me." Jessie said.

"What did you do this time? Fall out of the Christmas tree?" Reid joked.

"No I jumped out." She said with a devious smile. Reid shook his head in disbelief.

Their coffee arrived and they went to silence for a few sips.

"Hey, do you still write to your mom every day?" Jessie asked.

"Yes. I visit her more often now, but I still write. She's going to be so happy to hear about you." They fell to silence again.

"Do you get my flowers?" Reid asked suddenly, thinking about his habits.

"Yes and I burn them immediately," Jessie said with a sudden acidity. Anger and pain flashed in her eyes and she tried to recover herself.

"Why?" Reid asked confused.

"You know why, Spencer."

"But you love Hyacinths. The purple ones. I know from the book and you always said…"

"You know why, Spencer." Jessie repeated firmly. Reid searched his mind. He was no longer confused about why she burned the flowers, he could imagine why. In fact, he knew exactly why.

"You're mad at me…?" He stated more than asked. Jessie merely nodded. She was staring into her coffee cup. Her mind was clearly elsewhere. Reid suddenly felt angry and he asked, "Why did you come here?" insensitively.

Jessie was still in a cloud when she answered, "I'm getting married."

Reid felt a blow to his heart. His anger subsided and fear and anguish overwhelmed him.


	5. Chapter 5

Photographs and Memories

Chapter 5.

"What?" was all he could manage. He had spent seven years without talking to her, and he regretted that. After twelve years of being the closest friends, seven years had been punishment – punishment that he had placed on himself. He always knew why he had instigated the separation. And always knew that she would not be the first one to break it. So it confused him, yet again, to why she was there.

Jessie snapped out of her deep thoughts and frowned deeply.

"That came out wrong." She said, blushing. "My friend is getting married; I'm here to get wedding stuff ready for her."

Reid struggled to get his thoughts under control. Again he thought of the fact that he had survived seven years without her. Even though it was painful at times, he had managed it.

"When's the wedding?" He asked after he collected himself.

"This weekend. Saturday afternoon. She's flying in Friday night late so there's no rehearsal dinner, and that is exactly why she needs me; to make sure everything goes according to plan."

"You're maid of honor?" Reid asked, slightly more interested.

"Yeah. She put me in this awful dress so that I don't look prettier than her. Not that I mind, I mean, I don't want to look prettier." Reid felt a sense that she was talking more in general than about just the wedding.

"What about your job? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Yeah, but I took some vacation time. Needed to get out of the office, Clear my head. Besides, I know too many national secrets. They won't ever fire me for not being there." She smiled at her inside joke.

"You don't really have vacation time, do you?" Reid realized she was just as underhanded as ever.

"No. But they won't fire me. They'd have to kill me to get rid of me. Either way, it won't end pretty."

"Why do you know national secrets?" Reid was suddenly confused.

"I _don't_ work for the government." She said acutely, but Reid caught her intention. She actually does work for the government.

"So you _don't_ really know national secrets?" Reid asked teasingly.

"No," she answered with the same joking manner. "Not at all."

Reid laughed and Jessie joined. Just then, Reid's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket to answer. It was Garcia. .

"Hey Garcia." Reid answered.

"Hey hot stuff," Garcia said. "You got Hotch, Morgan and me on speaker. Is your girlfriend still with you?"

"She's not…" Reid wanted to deny Garcia's statement but decided not to do it loudly. "Jessie's here." He said after a sigh.

"Okay, your girl is a genius, and I don't mean that in general, I mean she just narrowed our suspect list down to six people." Garcia said happily.

"Wow. Really?" Reid asked as he motioned for Jessie to finish her coffee.

"We're going to need you to come over here and narrow it down some more." Morgan Said.

"Okay, we're just finishing up." Reid gulped his coffee down and looked apologetically at Jessie. She wasn't hurrying to finish her coffee; she sat back and waited for him to get off the phone.

"Thank Jessie for her input, but she doesn't have to come with you. In fact, I think it's better if she didn't." Hotch said sternly.

"Of course." Reid was surprised. Then he shut the phone and got up. "I have to go to work."

"See you around like a doughnut." Jessie said effortlessly, still comfortable in her chair.

"Funny." Reid said with a chuckle.

"I'll be here all week," Jessie joked animatedly and added, "Really, I will. We can catch up later."

"Okay. Uhm… Meet me at my apartment tonight? Seeing as how you already know where it is, not to mention, how to get in." Reid spoke as he walked backwards. "Seven?"

"I'll call you." She said and Reid stopped in his tracks.

"You don't have my number."

"Oh, I do." She said with another sneaky smile. Discomfort crossed over Reid's face but was replaced by content. She had already broken into his apartment, what's worse than that?


	6. Chapter 6

Photographs and memories

A/N: thanks so much everyone for your reviews. I love writing to people who love reading.

Chapter 6

When Reid walked into the office, Rossi grabbed him and lead him back out. Everyone was heading to the airstrip. On the airplane they went over the new victimology and the new profile. Even though the whole team was on the plane, Reid found it lacking.

"So tell me about this girl?" Morgan asked after all the deliberations were done with.

Reid cleared his thought uncomfortably and searched for a way out of this conversation.

"Look Reid, I don't want her. I'm just curious."

"Yeah." Reid thought for a moment. "I met her… I met Jessie when I was twelve years old." He gave in.

"Childhood sweetheart? That's cute."

"It's not like that. We're friends. I haven't seen her in seven years. It was kind of shocking to see her now. I mean, it's good that she's here. I don't really know why she came."

"Ask her."

"I did. She hardly ever gives straight answers. She goes on and on about something factual but doesn't get to the point."

"Sounds like you."

"No, it's… she deliberately avoids it. I just get sidetracked. She's like that, but where I have a potential medical excuse, she does it on purpose. She's very… cunning."

"So stay away." Morgan said simply.

"You think so?" Reid looked sad.

"No Genius!" Morgan said as he gently slapped Reid behind the head. "It's up to you. Come on, Reid, tell me about her."

"We met during summer. She's six years younger than me but we're both child prodigies. She stayed with her mom over summer and we met when my mom took me to campus with her. Jessie was beautiful even then. She didn't want to be my friend at first. She challenged me intellectually, trying to prove me wrong all the time," Reid smiled at the memory. "And after a few weeks she started coming over to our house to read and play chess. I only saw her every summer, but for twelve years. The last time I saw her was on her eighteenth birthday…" Reid trailed off.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." Reid said too quickly and Morgan knew he was lying. Reid also knew that Morgan would know that, so he continued. "I started working here."

"Reid, what aren't you telling me? She's special to you. I can see that, but what happened that split you two up?"

"She gave me a ridiculous ultimatum. She wanted me to kiss her."

Morgan frowned at that. "And you said no?"

"You don't understand…" Reid tried to get out again but felt a need to talk this over.

"Explain it to me then. What were the full consequences of your choice?"

"She said: either I kiss her or I'll never see her again. It was on her eighteenth birthday, September first. For several years before that she toyed with the idea of us living happily ever after and she tried several times to make advances, but I'm older than her. Before that day it would have been illegal, but when she asked me…" Reid seemed pained by the memory, "all I could think about was ruining the friendship. And there were some other thought around there…"

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Jessie's a ticking time bomb. She's clumsy, she hyperactive, disorganized and drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame. Every summer she ended up in the ER more frequently than anyone in a whole lifetime. She's dangerous and childish. I chose a safer life." Reid stumbled over his last sentence. "I don't know, it all made sense back then, it doesn't anymore."

"So all you have to do is find out what she's doing here and then you find out if you want her to stay this time. You know people change. She might not be the same person you once knew."

"She hadn't changed a bit. If anything, she's worse now."

"Reid, you're jumping ahead of yourself now. Wait until we get back and then go spend some time with her. Find out if you want her here or not."

By that time, they had reached the landing strip and started descending. At the Sheriff's office, they gave them their new profile and the officers help narrow it down to two people. In the middle of these deliberations, Garcia called Hotch and he walked out the room.

"Yeah, Garcia, did you get me that information I asked for?" He asked before he was completely out of the room.

"Sir I do, may just say, I didn't like it."

"You researched her before." Hotch was impatient. They had rested their investigation on a random person's point of view. "I need to know."

"Fine, matriculated at age ten, from an elite K to 12 School in Cape Town South Africa. Went on to get PhDs in Psychology, Theology, Mythology and Physics at Seattle University. Got sidetracked, faked a degree in Computer Programming and started working for a private detective. Got over that a year ago when she started working in DC. Don't know for who though. That is a little hard to track down."

"Why is that?"

"It says here she works for the president." Garcia said skeptically. "It's a little too easy. I'll research some more and let you know."

"Send me the files you have."

"Okey dokey" Garcia said and hung up. Just as Hotch left the room, the fax started coming through.


	7. Chapter 7

Photographs and Memories.

Chapter 7.

After a grueling day of profiling, the FBI caught their serial killer. She was precisely what Jessie had said she would be and more of what the team had come up with. Reid couldn't help but smile as he thought of how Jessie had helped them. On the plane back, Hotch was quietly reading papers. Reid was playing chess with Prentiss and Morgan sat across from Hotch.

"Reid, what does Jessie do for a living?" Hotch asked suddenly. Morgan was interested and listened in.

"I don't really know." Reid answered. "She didn't tell me."

"Did she tell you she is suspended from work?" Hotch said and held up a paper. Reid grabbed the paper and true to his words, the article was a federal suspension notice. Dated two weeks ago.

"She told me she was here for a wedding…" Reid mumbled.

"She might be here for a wedding. But she's definitely suspended too." Morgan saw the paper and read through it. "Suspended pending an internal investigation… She works for the president?"

"With a cool job at that. She sits in on meeting and notes who lies and who tells the truth." Prentiss answered. When everyone stared at her she continued, "I read the report too. It was lying on the table all day."

"What report? Hotch, you had Jessie researched?" Reid grabbed all the papers Hotch had in front of him. Reid scanned through the pages and caught up what had happened in Jessie's life for the last seven years.

"I had to Reid; I couldn't rest our investigation on someone we don't know."

Reid zoned out. He was overwhelmed by Jessie's life. After he had left to work at the BAU, she went on to Seattle and finished her studies. By the detail of the papers, it was clear that she didn't have a hard time living without him. In fact it seemed rather dull. Except for the occasional burst of insanity. She joined the Navy and dropped out after a month, then went back to a dull life again. She spent two weeks in Europe and returned to her dull life. Her visits to the ER seemed to be normal and then spiked at certain times of the year. All her medical information was there because Jessie was brought up in an Army house and she was still on army medical.

"Hey Reid," Morgan said as they all left the airstrip. "Remember what you decided this morning, you're going to give her the benefit of the doubt. Find out why she's here, spend some time with her. Just don't go over to her and judge her, okay?" Reid had been in such a daze that he had hardly notices when the plane landed or when they walked off.

"Yes. Thank you, Morgan." Reid was still deep in thought. It was after seven o'clock and Jessie still hadn't called him. "I just don't know anything anymore…."

"Hey, if a girl can get you this muddled, maybe she's worth it….?" Morgan added as he gently slapped Reid's shoulder and took off.

Reid walked up to his apartment half an hour later. He stared at his door for several minutes before opening it. It was locked as he half expected and his front room was just as he had left it. Nothing was stirred. With a sigh, he walked into his room and took off his shirt. He'll call her when he's refreshed. Then something made him stop abruptly. Jessie was lying across his bed, head off the side and covered in blood. Reid's heart began to race and he couldn't breathe. Jessie, blood – not good!


	8. Chapter 8

Photographs and memories.

Chapter 8.

"Jess…" Reid exclaimed her name but it choked off at the end.

Jessie snapped out of her daze with a start and sat up. She had tissues in her hands and she wiped away the access blood. Some had dried on her face already but it seemed to have been a runaway nose bleed.

"Spencer! You scared me!" She breathed.

"I scared you?" Reid's face was contorted in fear, confusion and replaced by relief. "What…" he started but she cut him off.

"Oh, don't ask."

It was silent for several minutes as they collected their thoughts.

"You can wash up in there." Reid pointed to his bathroom. Jessie stood and cleaned herself up. "You still get random nose bleeds…?" He stated rather than asked.

"No, I punched a guy… and he punched back" She declared sarcastically.

"Jessie!" It seemed her playful sarcasm was lost on Reid – he actually took her seriously.

"I'm kidding of course. Gosh, Spencer!" she said with a frown.

"I don't remember you being so sarcastic." He said and mimicked her frown.

"I don't remember you being so uptight." She snapped. They stared at each other for several more minutes. Neither one wanted to break the silence.

"You helped us catch a bad guy today." Reid finally said. "Bad girl." he corrected himself. He suddenly realized he was still shirtless and threw on a red T.

"I didn't do anything. Except maybe disagree with you. That should have ticked you off." Jessie sat down on the bed; cross-legged like a child. Reid could tell that she wanted him mad. But he didn't understand why.

"Jessie, please tell me something. Why are you here?"

"I told you. My friend's wedding." She didn't look at him. Pure signs that she was avoiding him, this subject or even the truth.

"No. that's why you're in Virginia. You could have gone to that wedding without ever coming to see me."

"You didn't want me to come." Jessie whispered after a silent moment. Then Reid snapped.

"No, no! That's not what I said! Why do you always do that? Turn everything around so that the arrows point at you. Don't you find it exhausting? You're causing yourself so much pain by jumping to your stupid conclusion. You're always so paranoid and depressing. Like everyone is out to get you." Reid stopped short as he put two and two together. Jessie didn't respond. She merely stared at him challengingly.

"Jessie, You're sick…?" Reid commented in a question as he wasn't sure about his facts. Could his Jessie really be schizophrenic?

"No I'm not, Spencer." Jessie looked at him annoyed. And bored. Like she's had that conversation before. "This is how I've always been."

"Aside from the sarcasm." Reid added. "When did you become so bitter?"

One would have expected Jessie to snap at that but she turned sad at the thought.

"The day you walked out of my life." She mumbled, still not looking at him.

Reid sat down across from her. More like he collapsed onto the edge and turned to face her.

"No, not that day," she corrected herself, "Months after… a year after you left."

"Jessie, what are you doing here?" Reid repeated his question, strangely not annoyed that she had skillfully avoided it again.

"I guess I'm just a sucker for punishment." she said and finally looked at him. "Look at us. We haven't seen each other in seven years and we fight already."

"I think it's because we haven't seen each other that we fight." It was Reid's turn to mumble. He was in a Daze. He wanted her to stay but she had a point. They fight. It's what they do.

"I have to go. I'll leave you alone. I won't bother you again." Jessie jumped up and was out in a flash. By the time Reid got to his senses, she was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Photographs and memories.

Chapter 9.

Reid had half a mind to run after her, but she was already gone. He thought of going out to find her, but he realized he didn't know where she was staying. He wanted to call her, but she never gave him her phone number. He thought over what happened and tried to figure out where things went wrong. When he couldn't get to a conclusion, he turned his thoughts to their last conversation. The last time he saw her. Her eighteenth birthday.

Reid had just heard that he got the job at the BAU. He hung up his phone and dialed another number. Jessie's. the phone rang several times until she picked up.

"Hey." He started. "I got good news…. I got the job…. Yeah, thank you…" He checked his wall-clock. "Uhm… I'll be there in 30 minutes… I got to take a shower. Uh-huh, I'll see you then."

Jessie's party was on the top balcony of one of the most luxurious Hotels in Vegas. Her father, a retired army captain, had bought the Hotel from a friend several years ago. It took him three weeks to earn back what the place had cost him. And now he was swimming in money. Money that he divided between charities and organizations. And of course a living.

Reid walked onto the balcony. He looked polished and handsome to die for. He scanned the groups of people and found Jessie easily. He could pick her out of a crowd of millions. She was wearing Jeans and a shiny black top – and sported a plastic birthday girl grown on her head.

Jessie was talking to friends her own age and didn't notice Reid watching her. After he grabbed a drink, he headed over to her. As he approached her, she noticed him, excused herself from the conversation and met him halfway. As she got closer, she tripped and he caught her before she could fall.

"Honestly Jessie! Who trips on wood floors? In sneakers?" he said with a laugh. Jessie laughed too.

"Thanks," she said, "I have a gift for you. Come here." Jessie led him to a table and got the small box out of her purse.

"For me? It's your birthday." Reid half complained as he followed behind her.

"It's something small. Because you got the job."

Reid opened the box and found a fancy watch. Not too fancy that he wouldn't wear it. A real "Reid-type" watch.

"Wow. Thank you. Your gift is over there," he pointed to the gift pile and she literally hops to it. When Jessie started picking up gifts and shaking them, Reid stepped in. "you have to wait!" he simply said.

"This one?" Jessie completely ignored him.

"Jessie! You should really wait."

"No. I can wait for the others." She said as she waved at them. Then she found it. "This one!" Reid pursed his lips but nodded. Jessie tore the paper off and jerked when she got a minor paper cut. She sucked her finger and continued opening the present.

It was a silver necklace with her name written in cursive. Jessie was ecstatic!

"Oh my Gosh! Thank you Spencer!" she took it out of the box and marveled over it for a few seconds. "I want to wear it. Will you…" she gestured to him to help.

"Sure." Reid said as he reached for it and put it around her neck. Jessie twirled around and hugged him thank you. After she pulled away, their faces where intimately close. She slipped her hands around his neck and they shared a silent comfortable moment. Reid wasn't nervous about this intimacy they shared. In fact it had felt good. Normal.

"Kiss me…" Jessie whispered and Reid felt tempted for a second but then he started pulling away.

"Jessie…." He searched for words.

"What?" Jessie felt the awkwardness flood between them. Her heart raced as she started preparing for the worst.

"I should… we shouldn't." Reid stepped away leaving a huge gap between him and Jessie. Pain hovered in that gap and Jessie tried to close it. "Jessie, no." He said when she got too close.

"Yes!" Jessie snapped after a moment. She banged her foot down hard and drew attention to them. People nearby stared for several moments as Jessie tried to calm herself down.

"Let's talk about this later." Reid ended the conversation with a restraining hand on her shoulder. He squeezed it affectionately and stepped away. Jessie stared at him for a while. She doesn't seem to breathe. Then she threw her left arm across her chest, turns and storms off the balcony. Reid grudgingly stares after her until he decides to follow her. At the elevator door, Jessie waits with both her arms around her chest. When she saw Reid come within reach, she started pushing the buttons quicker.

"Jessie…" He didn't really know what he wanted to say. He just didn't like seeing her so upset.

"You knew this was coming." She said. More than sad, she was angry. That had talked about this once before. He told her he would kiss her the day she turns eighteen. In fact, he promised.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship." He answered mindlessly.

"You just did!" she said as the elevator arrived. Jessie got on and pushed the buttons hastily, urging the door to close. Reid kept the doors open with his hand and took a deep breath.

"Jessie, it's your party. You shouldn't leave."

"Suddenly I don't feel very celebratory." She snapped and pushed the buttons again. Reid let go of the door and stepped in. It was silent for several seconds. The doors remained closed but the elevator didn't move. Jessie grunted and pushed the Lobby button. The elevator started moving.

"I'm going to Virginia Next week." Reid said. When Jessie didn't respond, he continued. "And you're due back in Seattle soon."

"you don't get it, Spencer." She whispered. "I love you. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Reid was taken by that comment. He loved her too but he couldn't get himself to elaborate. He had so much on his mind that those three words just flushed his brain out. He drew a complete blank.

When Reid didn't say anything, Jessie pressed her back against the elevator wall.

"I'm sorry," was all he could manage when he saw the pain in her eyes.

"You don't love me…" she turned her eyes away from him and stared at the floor. "Okay… Now I know…I can't do this…" she started mumbling and even if Reid had tried to say something, she didn't listen. "There's no point… If you don't love me back… Yes… I am going to Seattle… and you… Virginia… I'm never going to see you again." She made it sound like a choice. As if she suddenly chose a life without him. The elevator doors opened and they were on the Lobby floor. "We could have made it work, I could have transferred or something but why try, huh?"

Jessie walked out the doors mechanically.

"Jessie, where are you going?" Reid asked her as he held the door open again.

"Home," she simply said.

"You live here." He pointed out.

"Right! Good point. You leave." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. For a second there it looked as if she was going to kiss him, come hell or high water, but she simply turned him around and pushed him out the elevator.

"Jessie, wait!" Spencer tried. "It's not that…" he tried to hold the door one last time.

"Have a nice life Spencer." She said and started pushing buttons again.

"You mean you don't want to see me again because I don't want to complicate things?"

"It's not complicated. It's real simple." She tried to remove his hand off the door. "You love me, you kiss me…"

"I don't kiss you, I don't get to see you again." he finished her thought.

"Simple." She agreed.

Reid led go of the door and stepped back. Jessie's heart shattered into pieces and the last image Reid had of her was that of her pain breaking though her carefully built facade. Jessie fell against the back wall, slid down to the floor and stayed there until one of her friends found her. Reid stared at the fancy elevator doors until they opened again several minutes later with random Hotel guests inside.


	10. Chapter 10

Photograph and memories.

Chapter 10

Reid's memory was clouded by a mental thunderstorm. He remembered that time all too well, and the week following wasn't too good either. He lost perspective for a while but being a genius; he could switch off his dark cloud and switch on work mode. Besides, he loved doing profiling. It didn't take him long getting into his work. Jessie was soon forgotten. A year later, his memory took a stab at him as her birthday came closer. Guilt flooded him and he decided to send her flowers. He first found out that she was no longer in Seattle; she was working in her dad's hotel, and then sent her a bunch of purple Hyacinths. Her favorite flower. After that, the guilt subsided and he continued on for another year before sending her more flowers. It became a tradition.

Jessie on the other hand, went into a depression. She finished her studies son after and then went to work as a floor manager for her dad's hotel. After receiving Reid's flowers the first time, she snapped out of her depression and went on a hiking trip in Africa. She ended up back in Vegas, with a broken leg and moved on to better things. Every year she got the flowers; she burnt them and sometimes got burnt in the process. But she moved on for the most part.

Reid gave himself the night to have a Jessie memory re-run. He had a few photographs hidden away, so he dug those up and lived through the memories one more time. He took a shower, had dinner and went to bed. Putting the whole Jessie-thing behind him.

The next few days, the FBI was stuck in a conference room, doing seminars on safety all the way to no fraternizing. Everyone had to attend and even though Reid knew the seminars good enough to give them, he attended like everyone else. He arrived just in time for each session, and flew out the minute they were excused.

Saturday afternoon, Morgan caught Reid before he could dash out.

"Hold up, hold up! Where you running off to everyday huh?" he asked with a sneaky smile. "your girl waiting on you?"

"What are you talking about?" despite his efforts, Reid had managed to get himself into a bubble for the last few days. Even though he was in class, he didn't listen and suddenly Morgan's voice sounded particularly loud. He tried to remember Morgan's words but all he could recall, was the volume.

"Jessie waiting for you at home?" Morgan asked again.

"Jessie?" then Reid caught what he was talking about and wanted desperately to get away. "No, I'm not running after her."

Morgan picked up on Reid's morbid tone and stopped him from escaping again. Garcia and Prentiss picked up on this too and walked closer.

"What happened Reid?" Morgan prompted. Reid stared between Morgan, Garcia and Prentiss and found no way out.

"She walked away." That was all Reid wanted to say about it.

"Wait. Jessie walked away from you?" Prentiss wondered.

"And you didn't go after her?" Morgan completed the thought.

"Shame on you Reid." Garcia toyed with him.

"She's really fast." Reid mumbled.

"Reid, how do you really feel about her? You know you can't lie to us." Morgan asked. "I can see it's tearing you apart or at least driving you insane. I've never seen you like this. What's going on?"

Reid thought for a moment. "I love her." He finally said, surprising only himself with his statement. "I always have. But I lost her a long time ago…" he started to mumble.

"And what would you say to her if you saw her again?"

"I don't know. But I would give anything to just see her again." Reid realized how true his words were.

"Then call her." Morgan offered his phone.

"I don't have her number."

Garcia cleared her throat loudly and then said: "She doesn't have a listed phone number." And when she realized she wasn't helping, she bit her lip.

"I don't know where she's staying either." Reid added.

"I can track down her credit card…. If you want…" Garcia suggested.

"No. She chose to walk away. This time it's on her." Reid started walking away. Morgan caught his arm and pushed him down into a chair.

"You wait right there. Princess," he turned to Garcia, "will you track her down for us please?"

Garcia took off without another word. Morgan sat down with Reid and asked about everything Jessie had said. He wanted to find some subtext that Reid was missing because he was so close to the subject.

About twenty minutes and two cups of coffee later, Garcia showed up with a smile.

"Jessie's Credit card was charged at the Hilton Hotel on Monday. She's still there." Garcia was excited about her news.

"Her friend is getting married today." Reid said. He couldn't think around what to do next.

"Then go get her." Morgan said. "You know where she is. Hell, I'll even take you there."

Morgan got the car and he and Reid drove to the Hilton Hotel. Reid tried to break through his millions of thoughts and to get just one that could tell her how he felt.

As they arrived at the Hotel, many guests were dressed in formal and heading to the hotel's makeshift chapel. Reid walked up to the front desk and lost his nerve.

"We're looking for… er… Lynden?" Morgan asked and when the clerk stared at them with supremacy, Morgan took his FBI badge out. That's when the Clerk jumped to work.

"Miss Lynden's in the bridal suite. She's getting married in…" he checked his watch. "half an hour."

A shock went through Reid. She said it was her friend that was getting married! Morgan extended his arm to keep Reid from falling.

"What room number?" Morgan urged.

"Six o seven." The clerk said and handed Morgan a spare key. Morgan pulled Reid to the elevator and pushed him inside before the clerk could say something else.

"She said it was her friend… She said…" Reid mumbled but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Everything she had said and done pointed to her being the one who's getting married. First of all, she did say there was an exception to every rule/statistic. She has always been that exception. It's what made her so hard to read. She did say that she didn't really think of his as a soul mate. She did mention that she was mad at him. And she did leave him this time. Maybe she just came here to say good bye to him. It was interesting to him that she's getting married here. And not in Las Vegas. With her dad. It made him wonder about everything all over again. But the main thing was, she was getting married. And if that made her happy, then he was okay with that. However much it might hurt. On the other hand, she did also say that it was her friend getting married. And it wasn't in Jessie's character to lie like that. Okay, so maybe it was part of her character but not like this. She would have said something. Reid's mind was torn between the two possibilities.

They reached the sixth floor. And Reid was ready to turn back but Morgan pulled him out of the elevator before he could push a button.

"Morgan! If she's getting married, I don't want to get in the way of that. I want her to be happy." Reid pleaded.

"Come on man. I'm not stupid. You'll be a zombie for months. At least talk to her."

"There's no point. If I see her, I might stop her. That is only if she really is getting married. " Reid wasn't moving anywhere.

"What do you mean man?"

"I don't think it's her. Something must be wrong. Their information might be corrupt." Reid was getting hopeful. "on the other hand. She really is hard to profile.

"So what do you want to do man?" Morgan turned his back to the elevator.

"Okay maybe I should talk to her." Reid said but he still had no idea of what to say to her.

"I'll wait right here." Morgan moved closer to the hallway bench.

"No. you should come with me. To… hit me in case I lose my mind?" Reid wasn't too sure of himself. He already wanted to disappear. Morgan patted Reid's shoulder and together they walked to the room door. Morgan knocked and they waited.

"May I help you?" An elderly lady answered the door.

"ma'am…" Morgan began but Reid cut him off.

"Ma'am. I'm here to see Jessie. Can I see her?" Reid was sure what he wanted. He wanted whichever scenario included Jessie in his life. Even if they could just be friends. But he was suddenly hoping for something more. Yes, they argued. All good couples do. And he felt really strongly that she was not the bride.

The lady opened the door wider and let the two gentlemen in.

"She's in the living room." The lady said and pointed to the door. "Jessie, You have company." She called into the room.

Inside the living room, Jessie stood in front of a tall mirror, in a seriously fancy white dress. Her hair was curling down her back and she looked the picture of radiance. Her head turned to the door and shocked flooded her face as she laid eyes on Reid.

Reid felt a surge of pain when he walked into the room and saw Jessie in the wedding dress. So much for that theory. Another girl ran into the room from what must be the bed room. She was wearing a light green bridesmaid's dress and ran to stand next to Jessie. She was so excited about something that Reid could not fathom.

"Jessie! Look at you! You make the prettiest bride!" the girl said, oblivious to Reid and Morgan.

"She makes a pretty everything." the old lady said bitterly.

"Grammy! Be nice" the bridesmaid snapped back.

"Jessie…" Reid began but started backing out of the room. Only then did the girl notice the new comers.


	11. Chapter 11

Photographs and memories.

Chapter 11

Reid stared at Jessie in the wedding dress. And then he instantly had to escape.

"I'm sorry." Reid said as he turned and ran out. Morgan didn't even get a hold of him.

"What are you doing here?" Jessie asked Morgan.

"He wanted to tell you how much he loves you." Morgan said flatly.

"What?" Jessie was touched. The other girl got even more excited which made no sense to Morgan at all.

"You should go." She encouraged Jessie. "I'll take this off and wait for you. But don't ruin that dress, it a Vera Wang! Someone still has to wear it."

Then Jessie took off. She ran past Morgan and the old lady and out the door. Jessie ran into the hallway and saw Reid walking to the elevator.

"Reid, wait." She repeated, trying desperately not to trip over the layers of white material.

Reid ignored her and headed into the stairway. Jessie followed and half tripped into the fancy stairway.

"Reid, stop! I can't run in this dress and I can't do stairs in it either. It's not mine!" Reid stopped and turned. He was already halfway down a flight of stairs.

"What?" Reid was confused.

"Reid…" she started but then another thought occurred to her and she changed her words. "Where are my flowers?"

"Your flowers?" Reid felt enraged. There she was, in a wedding dress, half an hour away from getting married and she was asking him about flowers.

"It was my birthday yesterday. You didn't send me any flowers." She explained and seemed to expect Reid to understand. For a second there Reid forgot why he was there in the first place.

"You told me you burn them!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Doesn't mean I don't like receiving them…" she said.

"You're insane." Reid turned to walk down the stairs.

"I know." She whispered sadly. Then Reid stopped again and walked back up the stairs.

"Shouldn't you be getting to the wedding?"

"As soon as I change." She said as she toyed with the material. "And as soon as you tell me why you're here."

Reid got closer and finally stood in front of her. When he didn't answer, she put her hand open on his chest stopping him from moving again. "Is it true that you love me?"

"Does it matter?" he asked pointing at her dress.

"Oh. I'm not getting married. I told you that." She said but it confused him even more. "This isn't my dress."

"Then why…?"

"Nichole and I are the same size. She wanted to see what I look like in her dress and vice versa."

"Oh." Reid felt stupid.

"I should probably get back. Someone still has to wear it."

"Can we talk?" Reid finally said, taking her hand. "After?"

"Sure. You should stay. For the wedding. Morgan too."

"We have a lot to talk about."

"A lot of matters to clear." She agreed.

Then she gently pulled her hand away and headed out the stair way. In the hall, Morgan just flipped his phone open to dial when Jessie and Reid walked out.

"I was about to call you, man." Morgan said and put his phone away. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. We have a wedding to get to." Reid said as he ushered Morgan to the elevator. Jessie smiled and disappeared into room 607.


	12. Chapter 12

Photographs and memories.

Chapter 12

Reid and Morgan headed down to the make-shift chapel and found seats in the back. Minutes later, the bridal party arrived and the wedding started with the march. A little girl in a pink dress and a boy in a white suite walked down the aisle first. Then Jessie followed in the long soft green dress. And then as the music turned into the wedding-march and the guests stood in respect, the bride walked down the aisle.

The ceremony was beautiful. And normal at the same time. Reid couldn't keep his eyes off Jessie. He couldn't help but think that she had been wrong about the dress. It wasn't ugly and it didn't make her look any less beautiful. But at lease Jessie didn't out shine the bride.

When the ceremony was over, the guests were invited for cocktails on the patio. Morgan wanted to leave but he noticed a lonely pretty girl and decided to investigate. The bridal party was out taking pictures for half an hour. Jessie came back first with the small parts of the bridal party. When she reached Reid she remained at a small distance, wary of his intentions.

"Tell me something." Reid started, "The guy at the desk said 'Miss Lynden is getting married'…? Last time I checked, that was you."

"Nichole's name is Lynden too. Was. We're not related. Just happened to have the same last name."

"Wow. I guess by now I should know better than to make assumptions about you." Reid said lightly.

"Yeah well, the dress might have been overkill." She added. "You want to go for a walk?"

"Don't you have to wait for the bride and groom to get back?"

"No" she said and then changed her mind. "Yes… well, they are going to take twenty more minutes. And frankly I don't care. But you know if we talk real fast, we could get to the point so much faster than normal people and they won't miss us at all since we'll be back before them." She babbled on, suddenly nervous.

"Okay. I can talk fast. Besides I only have three words to say." Reid said with certainty.

"I'm listening." Jessie said. They had not moved an inch away from the people but they were completely alone on the edge of the crowd.

"Well, four actually." Reid took her hand and pulled her a little closer.

"That was three." She told him.

"What was?" Reid frowned.

"Never mind. Four?" she urged him on.

Reid stood much closer.

"I…" he whispered into her left ear before kissing her temple.

"…always…" he continued and kissed away a tear that formed in the corner of her eye.

"…loved…" he said into her right ear and kissed the hollow of her neck under her ear.

"…you." He finished - his face right in front of Jessie's. She was having a hard time breathing normally.

"I should have done this a long time ago." He mumbled as he raked her hair back, tilting her face up and finally kissing her.

"I love you." Reid repeated. Relief flushed over Jessie's face and tears stung her eyes. Reid felt released as the words came out. They could not have been any truer.

"Oh Reid…" Jessie caught her breath and fought against her silly happy tears. "I love you too."

A/N: So. Thank you to everyone who read through this story. I loved your reviews and it's great to write to people who are just as obsessed about this incredible show (and character) as I am. Be not afraid my dear ones. A story will follow this one. Please ask any questions you may still have so that I can answer them in the next story. Thanks again. Love. Myannah


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